Tuscany · Borgo Santo Pietro

The Estate

I can't contain my excitement! The absolute highlight of our honeymoon has got to be our incredible stay at Borgo Santo Pietro! I've been eagerly counting down the days ever since I booked it last year. It's like the Italian honeymoon of my dreams, something I've fantasized about forever. Actually being here feels like a pinch-me moment like my wildest dreams coming true!

Borgo Santo Pietro is a luxurious boutique hotel and spa located in Tuscany, Italy. It’s nestled in the picturesque countryside near the town of Chiusdino. The entire estate used to look not like what it is now at all, and it is incredible that the owners are able to transform it into a sanctuary paradise. This 13th-century villa is definitely a unique blend of Italian architecture and modern comforts. There is a beautiful gate that we have to enter upon our arrival, which made the entire villa very mysterious and secluded.

As soon as we arrived, a friendly staff member warmly welcomed us, inquiring about our journey and guiding us through the stunning property. While Han was engrossed in the conversation, I couldn't help but be captivated by the sheer beauty of the place! To add to the delightful welcome, we were promptly offered two glasses of champagne, setting the tone for a truly enchanting start to our trip.

The entire estate of Borgo Santo Pietro is huge, encompassing luxurious accommodations, beautifully manicured gardens, serene landscapes, farmlands, and various amenities. I’d say it would probably take 3 full days to explore the entire surroundings.

✨ On our final day, we had the most incredible honeymoon photography session at Borgo Santo Pietro, and I am bursting with excitement to share the stunning photos on my blog as soon as they're all ready! We were lucky to have the talented Michelle Wever, a fine art wedding photographer from Europe (@michelleweverphotography), capture our special moments. I've been low-key obsessed with the ambiance and aesthetic of her photos, following her Instagram for months. And guess what? She shoots on film too!

Here are some sneakpeak of the pictures she took on our session of the venue:

I wish my photography skill is as great as hers ☺️

The Room

I love the fact that the hotel features a range of beautifully appointed rooms and suites, each individually designed with a harmonious fusion of contemporary style and traditional Italian craftsmanship. The room we booked is incredibly beautiful! AND it smells so good! We couldn't resist the scent and ended up buying one of their fragrances at the spa. Every corner is perfect for taking photos too! Upon entering the room, there was a welcoming letter and a whole bottle of champagne already prepared for us (we enjoyed it while basking in the sun the next day, hehe).

Each room at the hotel has its own color palette and there is a team of 4‑5 florists to decorate the estate and send fresh flowers to each room that matches the room’s colors every day. The estate is too big that the hotel gave us a map so we don’t get lost 🤣 I really love the Tuscany green/beige‑ish color palette that our room has.

It was a bit chilly in the room (they haven’t had this cold of weather in May for 25 years), so we’ve asked to light up the fire place in our room. It definitely made the entire atmosphere even cozier.

I must admit, this is hands down the most dreamy bathroom I have ever laid eyes on. Seriously, can I somehow transport this entire bathroom setup to my own home? It exudes the perfect princess-like charm of a countryside retreat. I'm utterly obsessed and can't resist capturing every picturesque angle in countless photos!

The bathroom is equipped with its own skincare line of products, which is a couple of hundred euros if you’d like to purchase it from the store. Even their slippers is premium quality (way better than the ones I’ve used at any 5 star chain hotels such as Ritz).

What a nice way to chill at the bath tub 🤣

BREAKFAST

The breakfast is included in our stay, and it’s a super nice buffet breakfast. It’s incredible how they rarely source food from elsewhere unless they have to! From the eggs at the table, the milk, the veggies and some meat, the hotel really tries its best to use food that they can grow themselves. Even their chickens eat organic 🤣 We really enjoyed their fresh breakfast brunch every morning. You can definitely taste the freshness and difference.

Their breakfast is what I look forward to every morning of our stay!!! We had the chance to try so many of their varieties. Their eggs are top notch!

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THINGS TO DO

The hotel offers a variety of activities, both free and at an additional cost.
I recommend visiting during the summer when there are more activities to do!
Free activities:
✨Guided estate tour in a golf cart
✨Organic egg collection
✨Sheep milking, cheese making/tasting
✨Self-guided hiking (they have their own hiking trail)
✨Organic honey tasting & beekeeping demo
✨Tennis court play

Paid activities:
✨Vespa
✨Cooking class
✨Wine tasting
✨Floristry
✨Art lesson (every month they have a new resident artist)
✨Forest yoga
✨Guided meditation and forest bathing
✨Picnic
✨Spa
✨Horse back (riding around their estate)

They provide guests with bicycles to ride along and explore the extensive grounds. I really want to take a bike home 🥹

Their vespas are so cute!

We had originally signed up for their picnic experience, but unfortunately, the weather had other plans and it got cancelled. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because we ended up having our own impromptu picnic out in the fields. It was such a fantastic alternative! And to top it off, we decided to switch our booked experience to a pasta-making class with Mama Olga. Let me tell you, it was an absolute blast and I'm so glad we made that last-minute change!

Our afternoons were basically all about soaking in the mesmerizing views of the Tuscany fields and rolling hills. I mean, seriously, it felt like something out of a fairytale. And let me tell you, no matter how hard I tried, my camera could only capture a fraction, like 1/10, of the sheer beauty that surrounded us. It was beyond breathtaking!

Estate Tour

We had a private tour with Thomas, one of the hotel's guest service representatives. He showed us their essential oil production facility! They grow their flowers (like lavender) on the farm and immediately send them to their lab, then to the facility besides the lavendar field for processing. On our way around the estate, we passed by a few chicken houses and collected eggs too. Around 1,000 eggs are collected on a daily basis, but even then, there’s barely enough to feed all the guests and staff members (FYI the staff lives on the estate grounds too). We also saw llamas 🦙, cuddled with baby lambs, and even tasted fresh unpasteurized sheep's milk (apparently their sheep eats so clean that it doesn’t require a second time of pasteurizing). Oh my, fresh sheep's milk is truly delicious!

The tour really made us appreciate how much effort and care the owners of the estate have put into building this place. Just by entering the place, you can already tell how much they value quality over quantity.

I heard they are even planning to produce their own blankets (or is it scarves) in the future. It’s a project that is underway!

Pasta Making Class

On one of our nights, we had our dinner during our booked pasta cooking class, which happened to be the priciest option among their cooking class series. But let me tell you, it was totally worth it! We had the amazing opportunity to cook alongside Mama Olga herself, who shared some super cool techniques for making outstanding pasta. As an Asian, I always thought making pasta was pretty straightforward... in general. But turns out, with a few extra steps and tricks, you can take the flavour to a whole new level! I guess every dish tastes delicious when you put your heart into it. We ended up making a total of three different types of dishes (and even whipped up an extra one for our awesome guide/translator since Mama Olga only spoke Italian). It was such a fun and memorable experience!

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Dinner at Borgo Santo Pietro Saporium

So, the other night, we decided to treat ourselves to dinner at their Saporium restaurant, which happens to be a Michelin-rated gem right on the premises.